Julie Scelfo

Founder & Executive Director, Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA)

Julie Scelfo is Founder of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), a grassroots movement of parents and allies fighting back against media addiction and creating a world where real-life experiences and interactions remain at the heart of a healthy childhood. She is a longtime journalist, a former New York Times staff writer, a media ecologist, and a parent. 

Scelfo was moved to start MAMA after reporting on the youth mental health crisis and learning that suicide is now the second leading cause of death for 10 year-olds in the U.S., and recognizing how a multitude of factors—including screen addiction and absent safeguards—has created an unhealthy, unsafe media environment.

Among its initial advocacy efforts, MAMA played a critical role in the passage of first-of-its-kind legislation in New York to protect children from addictive social media algorithms and predatory data collection. Scelfo and MAMA members rallied outside Meta’s New York office in support of the legislation and to bring awareness to social media addiction and its impact on youth mental health, as well as participating in multiple trips to Albany. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a leading sponsor of the legislation, said that the bills’ passage “wouldn’t have happened without the dedicated volunteers of MAMA.” 

In addition to her MAMA advocacy, Scelfo is the author of The Women Who Made New York, (Seal Press/Hachette), an inclusive collection of biographies revealing how it was women—and not just men—who built one of the world’s greatest cities. She is a frequent public speaker who has made numerous appearances on television, radio and podcasts, and invites you to join her coalition at JoinMAMA.org.